Govt: Parents want heads running schools, not councils

The Department for Education has hit back at claims that parents do not support the government’s school reforms.

Only 8% of parents think that the coalition has had a positive impact on the education system since it took power, according to a new poll.

This survey in fact demonstrates the high level of parental support for our reforms.

Almost two-thirds of parents want heads and teachers running their schools, rather than councils - that is why we have given schools more freedom than ever before to do just that through our academies programme.

Our new national curriculum will be significantly slimmer than the current one, and does not tell teachers how to teach its content - this poll finds that 98% of parents support us in that.

Additionally, the vast majority of our new free schools are so popular with parents that they are over-subscribed.